Israel Thrice Rebuked

The government went too far

Surrounded by enemies, Israel takes its security seriously. Sometimes too seriously, as three official rebukes last week indicated. A two-member panel appointed by the Cabinet found the entire government responsible for the activities of Jonathan Jay Pollard, the American intelligence analyst sentenced this year by a U.S. court to life imprisonment as an Israeli spy. But the panel declined to single out any individual for culpability. A second investigation, conducted by a parliamentary intelligence subcommittee headed by former Foreign Minister Abba Eban, then pinned blame squarely on Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Peres,...